Aso to pledge 1.6 million new jobs in 3 years in Diet speech

TOKYO, Jan. 18 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso plans to pledge the creation of 1.6 million new jobs in
three years as part of a new growth strategy he will announce in a policy
speech to be delivered at the Diet, according to a draft of the speech obtained
Sunday.
Under the strategy, Aso will stress the priority on creating employment
opportunities and new markets by taking various measures in an integrated
manner on infrastructure improvement, research and development advancement, as
well as deregulation and reforms.
He will also reiterate his intention to pave the way for a hike in the
consumption tax starting from fiscal 2011 based on the premise that the economy
should have turned around by then.
On social security, Aso will explain a policy of aiming for a ''moderate''
level of welfare with a ''moderate'' level of burden on the people, the draft
shows.
He will stress that the government will ask the people to shoulder necessary
burdens while it will try to turn around the dwindling economy and streamline
the government systems.
Meanwhile, Aso will show a clear departure from a reform-oriented strategy held
by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi by raising a question about the
effectiveness of the idea of transferring publicly managed services to the
private sector.
''It is not true that everything will go well if you entrust (services) to the
market,'' Aso will say, according to the draft. He will then call for
reassurance and vitality in society.
The prime minister will mention the ''low carbon revolution,'' ''health and
longevity'' and ''boundless power'' as three key words for his growth strategy.
The speech contents are expected to be finalized shortly through discussions
between the government and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party
and the New Komeito party.
The date of Aso's speech has not yet been decided because deliberations for the
second extra budget for fiscal 2008 are under way in the opposition-led House
of Councillors. But the ruling parties are hoping that Aso will deliver the
speech on either the upcoming Friday or Jan. 26.
On domestic policies, Aso will call for a review of ''all policies'' on
agriculture, suggesting a shift from the nation's long-held policy of reducing
rice field acreage.
On the diplomatic and defense front, Aso is to stress that Tokyo will maintain
the Japan-U.S. alliance as its foundation of foreign policy and that it will
further strengthen the alliance together with President-elect Barack Obama who
is taking office next Tuesday.
Japan will cooperate closely with the United States on such areas as the fight
against terrorism, nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, and climate
change, the prime minister will say.
Touching on antipiracy missions in waters off Somalia, Aso is to announce his
determination to set up a legal framework for dispatching the Maritime
Self-Defense Force at an early date to the area.
He will express his resolve to press North Korea through the six-party talks to
move forward with its denuclearization process.
At the same time, Aso will pledge that Japan will demand North Korea again
launch a full scale search for Japanese nationals abducted by the country in
the past.
==Kyodo